Hey All:
My 1979 L-48 Corvette was returned to me last evening after a lengthy
stint in the mechanics shop. Among other things, she had a new VB&P
monofilament 330# spring installed while having new seals replaced in
the rear differential.

What a great move that was! I can hardly believe the improvement to
the handling that this has made. I guess I never really new how bad
the ride really was since I bought the car in '96, but since getting
the rear spring replaced, it's like she's a new car! Say goodbye to
body roll that I thought was normal. Say goodbye to feeling every
bump in the road (and believe me, here in Michigan there are a lot of
them!) through the seat of your pants. Say hello to a car that now
makes lane changes as quick as Clark Kent changes into Superman.

It used to be the car would squat in the back end any time you
stomped on the the accelerator - no more of that! The only downfall
to it is that now I have to have the exhaust rerouted slightly as the
spring needs at least a 3" clearance from any heat source. VB&P
cautions that temps of 225 or above could begin to melt the spring.

So, does anyone know if there is an insulating wrap that I might be
able to wrap the exhaust pipes in rather than loose her to a shop for
another couple of days? I've got about 2" clearance right now, but
I'm not sure that 3" can be achieved safely.

Keep on toolin',
M Romanowski

Mark,

I don't think you have anything to worry about with 2" clearance. I had a Durango that I had dual exhaust installed on, and the spare tire under the back end, only had about 1" clearance. I drove it for two years that way, with no problems to the tire. I checked it every now and then just to make sure... It seems like the fiberglass could take as much heat as the rubber could.. Welders sometimes use a heat resistant fiberglass blanket in performance of their job. You might get some of it, and wrap the exhaust, if you aren't comfortable with it the way it is. I know that would work.

|UPDATED|8/16/2002 12:44:17 AM|/UPDATED|

Mark,

Most of the parts catalogs have an exhaust wrap available. You might even find it at a local parts place. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to in the near future.

There is an exhaust wrap sold in most of the parts books like Ecklers and Mid America that is used to wrap the exhaust headers. The same stuff is sold in many parts retail stores. If it works on the headers, it will certainly work at the other end of the exhause system.

I can recommend the wrap . I used it in couple of places after installing true duals . I wrapped the area that passes close to the transmission under the drivers seat . It provides excellent protection to the shifter cable and the rubber boot covering . I also wrapped the area directly below the starter motor to stop some of the heat soak that takes place in that area . You will read comments from time to time saying that it can cause damage to the pipes from rust etc. But I feel that the majority of our cars are not driven as daily drivers in the rain etc. At any rate I had occasion to remove the covering by the tranny recently and found no damage whatsoever . BTW its really picky to work with .Sorta makes ya itchy ,,,, could be a personal prob !!

G

|UPDATED|8/16/2002 3:17:14 PM|/UPDATED|

I'll bet you're glad to have the car back again. I had a KIA rent a wreck when I was in Monterey. It wasn't just underpowered, it had no power. My '87 felt like a rocketship when I finally got home and could drive him!